Long range absorption in the scattering of 6He on 208Pb and 197Au at 27 MeV

Quasi-elastic scattering of 6He at E_lab=27 MeV from 197Au has been measured in the angular range of 6-72 degrees in the laboratory system employing LEDA and LAMP detection systems. These data, along with previously analysed data of 6He + 208Pb at the same energy, are analyzed using Optical Model calculations. The role of Coulomb dipole polarizability has been investigated. Large imaginary diffuseness parameters are required to fit the data. This result is an evidence for long range absorption mechanisms in 6He induced reactions.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figures, minor corrections. To appear in Nucl. Phys.

Clinical haematology of the great bustard (Otis tarda)

The haematological parameters of healthy great bustards (Otis tarda L.) have been determined. The values obtained were red cell count (3.0 x 10(12) +/- 0.2 x 10(12/)1), white cell count (33.0 x 10(9) +/- 2.6 x 10(9)/1), haematocrit value (0.51 +/- 0.01 1/1), haemoglobin (13.0 +/- 0.3 g/dl), mean corpuscular volume (178.7 +/- 12.5 fl), mean cell haemoglobin concentration (25.0 +/- 0.6 g/dl), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (42.5 +/- 3.2 pg), differential white cell count: heterophils (22.5 x 10(9) +/- 0.7 x 10(9)/1), lymphocytes (6.0 x 10(9)+/-0.7 x 10(9)/1), eosinophils (2.7 x 10(9) +/- 0.3 x 10(9)/1) and monocytes (1.8 x 10(9)+/-0.2 x 10(9)/1)

Look-ahead in the two-sided reduction to compact band forms for symmetric eigenvalue problems and the SVD

We address the reduction to compact band forms, via unitary similarity transformations, for the solution of symmetric eigenvalue problems and the computation of the singular value decomposition (SVD). Concretely, in the first case, we revisit the reduction to symmetric band form, while, for the second case, we propose a similar alternative, which transforms the original matrix to (unsymmetric) band form, replacing the conventional reduction method that produces a triangular– band output. In both cases, we describe algorithmic variants of the standard Level 3 Basic Linear Algebra Subroutines (BLAS)-based procedures, enhanced with lookahead, to overcome the performance bottleneck imposed by the panel factorization. Furthermore, our solutions employ an algorithmic block size that differs from the target bandwidth, illustrating the important performance benefits of this decision. Finally, we show that our alternative compact band form for the SVD is key to introduce an effective look-ahead strategy into the corresponding reduction procedure

Impacto del uso de un cemento de bajo carbono en la mejora de la sostenibilidad de la producción de cemento

A preliminary assessment of conditions for the industrial manufacture of a new cementitious system based on clinker-calcined clay and limestone, developed by the authors, referred as “low carbon cement” is presented. The new cement enables the substitution of more than 50% of the mass of clinker without compromising performance. The paper presents the follow-up of an industrial trial carried out in Cuba to produce 130 tonnes of the new cement at a cement plant. The new material proved to fulfill national standards in applications such as the manufacture of hollow concrete blocks and precast concrete. No major differences either in the rheological or mechanical properties were found when compared with Portland cement. Environmental assessment of the ternary cement was made, which included comparison with other blended cements produced industrially in Cuba. The new cement has proven to contribute to the reduction of above 30% of carbon emissions on cement manufacture.Se presenta la evaluación preliminar de las condiciones de fabricación industrial de un nuevo sistema cementicio a partir del empleo de clínquer; arcillas calcinadas y piedra caliza; desarrollado por los autores; denominado “cemento de bajo carbono”. El nuevo cemento posibilita la reducción de más de un 50% de la masa de clínquer; sin comprometer el comportamiento del material. El presente trabajo presenta el monitoreo de la producción industrial en una planta en Cuba; de 130 t del nuevo cemento. El cemento obtenido cumple con las regulaciones nacionales de calidad y su empleo tiene similar rendimiento que el cemento Pórtland para la producción de bloques y hormigón de 25 MPa. Se realiza el análisis de impacto ambiental del cemento ternario mediante la comparación con otros cementos producidos industrialmente. El nuevo cemento puede contribuir a la reducción de más del 30% de las emisiones de CO2 asociadas a la manufactura de cemento

Boosting Long-Term Stability of Pure Formamidinium Perovskite Solar Cells by Ambient Air Additive Assisted Fabrication

Due to the high industrial interest for perovskite-based photovoltaic devices, there is an urgent need to fabricate them under ambient atmosphere, not limited to low relative humidity (RH) conditions. The formamidinium lead iodide (FAPI) perovskite α-black phase is not stable at room temperature and is challenging to stabilize in an ambient environment. In this work, we show that pure FAPI perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have a dramatic increase of device long-term stability when prepared under ambient air compared to FAPI PSCs made under nitrogen, both fabricated with N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP). The T80 parameter, the time in which the efficiency drops to 80% of the initial value, increases from 21 (in N2) to 112 days (in ambient) to 145 days if PbS quantum dots (QDs) are introduced as additives in air-prepared FAPI PSCs. Furthermore, by adding methylammonium chloride (MACl) the power conversion efficiency (PCE) reaches 19.4% and devices maintain 100% of the original performance for at least 53 days. The presence of Pb–O bonds only in the FAPI films prepared in ambient conditions blocks the propagation of α- to δ-FAPI phase conversion. Thus, these results open the way to a new strategy for the stabilization in ambient air toward perovskite solar cells commercialization.Funding for open access charge: CRUE-Universitat Jaume

La estación de radiación solar e iluminación de alta calidad del IDMP en Madrid y su aplicación a la edificación

En este trabajo se presenta un estudio de la actividad investigadora que se ha realizado hasta el momento en la estación de radiación solar e iluminación de alta calidad del International Daylight Measurement Program (IDMP) en Madrid ubicada en la E. T. S. de Arquitectura de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (40º 25’ N, 3º 41’ W). Esta estación ha centrado su investigación fundamental en dos temas: luminancias y eficacias luminosas de la radiación solar (global, difusa y directa) para todo tipo de cielos, todo ello desde un punto de vista físico, cuyos trabajos y resultados se exponen con detalle. La finalidad de este estudio es poder aplicar los resultados obtenidos a la Edificación, tanto en edificios ya existentes como de nueva construcción, para obtener un máximo confort visual a partir de la iluminación natural, con el consiguiente ahorro energétic

Glucose metabolism and oscillatory behavior of pancreatic islets

A variety of oscillations are observed in pancreatic islets.We establish a model, incorporating two oscillatory systems of different time scales: One is the well-known bursting model in pancreatic beta-cells and the other is the glucose-insulin feedback model which considers direct and indirect feedback of secreted insulin. These two are coupled to interact with each other in the combined model, and two basic assumptions are made on the basis of biological observations: The conductance g_{K(ATP)} for the ATP-dependent potassium current is a decreasing function of the glucose concentration whereas the insulin secretion rate is given by a function of the intracellular calcium concentration. Obtained via extensive numerical simulations are complex oscillations including clusters of bursts, slow and fast calcium oscillations, and so on. We also consider how the intracellular glucose concentration depends upon the extracellular glucose concentration, and examine the inhibitory effects of insulin.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figure

Large scale synthesis of nanostructured zirconia-based compounds from freeze-dried precursors

Nanocrystalline zirconia powders have been obtained at the multigram scale by thermal decomposition of precursors resulting from the freeze-drying of aqueous acetic solutions. This technique has equally made possible to synthesize a variety of nanostructured yttria or scandia doped zirconia compositions. SEM images, as well as the analysis of the XRD patterns, show the nanoparticulated character of those solids obtained at low temperature, with typical particle size in the 10–15 nm range when prepared at 673 K. The presence of the monoclinic, the tetragonal or both phases depends on the temperature of the thermal treatment, the doping concentration and the nature of the dopant. In addition, Rietveld refinement of the XRD profiles of selected samples allows detecting the coexistence of the tetragonal and the cubic phases for high doping concentration and high thermal treatment temperatures. Raman experiments suggest the presence of both phases also at relatively low treatment temperatures.This study has been supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Technology and EU FEDER Program (MAT2009-14144-C03-01, MAT2009-14144-C03-03, MAT2012-38364-C03-01, MAT2012-38364-C03-02). The SCSIE of the Universitat de València is gratefully thanked for the use of the X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and analytical facilities. R. Moreno and T. Molina, from Instituto de Cerámica y Vidrio, CSIC, Madrid, are acknowledged by the realization of the agglomerate size measurements

Self-sufficient asymmetric reduction of β-ketoesters catalysed by a novel and robust thermophilic alcohol dehydrogenase co-immobilised with NADH

β-Hydroxyesters are essential building blocks utilised by the pharmaceutical and food industries in the synthesis of functional products. Beyond the conventional production methods based on chemical catalysis or whole-cell synthesis, the asymmetric reduction of β-ketoesters with cell-free enzymes is gaining relevance. To this end, a novel thermophilic (S)-3-hydroxybutyryl-CoA dehydrogenase from Thermus thermophilus HB27 (Tt27-HBDH) has been expressed, purified and biochemically characterised, determining its substrate specificity towards β-ketoesters and its dependence on NADH as a cofactor. The immobilization of Tt27-HBDH on agarose macroporous beads and its subsequent coating with polyethyleneimine has been found the best strategy to increase the stability and workability of the heterogeneous biocatalyst. Furthermore, we have embedded NADH in the cationic layer attached to the porous surface of the carrier. Since Tt27-HBDH catalyses cofactor recycling through 2-propanol oxidation, we achieve a self-sufficient heterogeneous biocatalyst where NADH is available for the immobilised enzymes but its lixiviation to the reaction bulk is avoided. Taking advantage of the autofluorescence of NADH, we demonstrate the activity of the enzyme towards the immobilised cofactor through single-particle analysis. Finally, we tested the operational stability in the asymmetric reduction of β-ketoesters in batch, succeeding in the reuse of both the enzyme and the co-immobilised cofactor up to 10 reaction cycles